Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-07-29
WONDERFUL CHARLES BRANDON.

WONDERFUL CHARLES BRANDON.
Divorced 1T 96-Three Wives.-33 Children
Is Sons in the Union Army.
New York Sun
When western Pennsylvania was the
frontier and the Indian fighter was the
most i'm portant and indispensable person
in the settlement, Charles Brandon was
one of the best and most daring of all
the active foes of the red men. At the
age of years, in 1854, he was captured
by the Indians, who killed HE father at
the same time. This was on the banks
Of the Ohio River. For twelve years the
boy was kept among the savages, but he
disliked them and escaped when he was
Is years old. He found q white settle
ment and learned TO talk his native Ian
guage. From that time on he gave his
life to Indian killing.
In 1890. when the Indians were getting
scarce, Charles Brandon married a young
woman named Mary Meyers. She bore
him two children and died. He then
married Fannie SIusher. She bore him
eighteen children, and died in 1890.
Brandon was then nearly 20 years old.
When he was five years older he mali ied
Sarah Barker, who was only 16. She was
the youngest of sixteen children. She
lived with him twenty one years, bearing
him in the meantime, fifteen children.
Then she got divorce from him, he be-
ing SO. The separation from his wife
broke his heart, and although at the
time he was as agile, strong and active as
he was when he was married, he pinned
away and died the same year the divorce
was obtained. II then had thirtythree
living children,
His divorced widow had had the care of
all of them, and abe raised all that were
young enough to need raising. Brandon
had been the father of thir y-Rye children
bus two died, one a child of his first wife
and the other one of the eighteen his wife
had borne him. The divorced widow
moved to Moundsville, ". Va, and the
most of the thirty-three children went
with her. Among them were two Johns
and two Charleses. One of the Johns
and one of the Charleses were the third
wife's children. There was James who
was old enough to go 10 the Mexican war,
whsre he was wO anded in the neck. when
the war of the REP eliion broke out the two
Johns, the two Charleses, Sim, Evans,
Peter, Josephus, Hiram, James, Van
Buren,, Jacob, Abraham, Alexander, Da7id
Andrew, and Reece, of the sons, enlisted
in the Union Army, all in Ohio and Vir-
ginia regiments. Then Mrs. Brandon's
John and Charles were taken prisoners at
ChickamGugua They were both put in
AndersOnville prison. John died in nine
months; Charles was there twenty one
months and escaped. Peter was killed at
Shiloh while his regiment, the Seventy
oh Oh -
| other sons served through the war and
came home.
The third wife of the remarkable old
Indian killer. and mother and stepmother
| of his remarkable family, still lives at
Moundsville. She is 20 years old. Until
three months ago she was in destitHt g
circumstances. Ther she got a pension
| and $500 as her claim against the gov
erument. She is six feet in height, as
straight, as an arrow, as strong as q man,
! and exceiiing nine out Of every ten men
III powers and endurance. Only a few
| DAYS ago-one of the hOttest-she walked
to st Clairsville, twenty miles, in five
| hours, and back III the same time. She
| mas only one eye. The other one was
shot out about thirty years ago by one of
| the second wife's boys. She had occasion
| to correct him. He got his bow and ar
row and shot her, putting out her eye.
| This remarkable woman knows the where
| abOuts of only nine of the thirty three
children. They live near her.
But takin' them an their children, an
| their chiIdren's children, there must be
| nigh to q thOUsau' on EN- by this time"
No RightS for the CoIOred Man
Detroi. Free Press.
Yes, did find one coIored man in Ala
bama who claimed that he was oppressed
on account of his color and previous CON
! dition. It was at the depot in Selma. We
two were alone on the platform, and as
we drifted together and he made up his
| mind | didn't intend to steal his satchel,
[ asked how he was getting on.
Poorly, sab, very poorly" he answer
ed.
Don't they give you chance?"
mo, sah-nO, sab. White folks down
on Us mighty bad"
Give me Il sample case
WALL" he replied after taking a little
time to think, "dey doan' respect our
rights tall. One night las fall free of
'em come to my house at midnight an
woke me up an lugged me off to jail
"What for?n
sad | had dun stole a hog
That's cool. And you were an limo
cent MANI"
'Sartrn l was, an if dey hadn't s'arch-
ed my house Wildcat havin' warrant or
de slightest authority I'd hev proved it."
But why couldn't you after the
search?"
"kas dey dun found de pork under the
floah, san! If had bin white man do
you reckon dey would hav attem pied any
high-handed outrage like dat? Didn't
dey oit kas dey knowed | war poo
black man wi'dout any rights? Talk to
me, sab, of a Guild pusson's rights down
yere! He hain't got none. Dat pork
was Stoie in the night, an didn't leave 4
single track behind, an yet dey cum an
jumped right in on me like dey was suah
all de white folks was honest, an all de
rest of de churd people had moved